057 Review : L'Oreal Color Riche / Blakes Pure Red

Ohh my goodness! Long time no see! I have been so utterly desperate to update Blush & Belle but my laptop decided to go to laptop heaven, fortunately I'm up and running again! I've missed blogging massively and have tons to fill you guys in on, but I'll save that for a later post. I've been super busy trying to get organised for Christmas, I've actually been pretty good and am all shopped and wrapped. I can't wait to spend the Christmas period surrounded by loved ones, definitely my favourite time of year.

So aside from doing all of my Christmas shopping, I picked up a few little things for myself. I never wear lipstick, I have a lot of it, but it's rare that I decide to put it on. I'm not sure why, partly morning rushing and partly because I've never found a shade that I've fallen utterly in love with. Until now. Meet Blakes Red..

I have to apologise for the awful picture quality, my DSLR is broken too so I'm having to use my iPhone for now! Anyway, I'm not sure why I was drawn to this lipstick, as red is a bit of a brave shade for me, but I figured it would be perfect for this time of year and its the most beautiful red against my Morticia Addams-esque skintone. Plus I have a massive girl crush on Blake Lively (please say I'm not the only one!)

I absolutely adore the packaging, I love L'oreals sleek, matte black casing and gold trims. They always look so much more expensive than they are! The thing that blew me away about this lipstick was the longevity of it, it literally lasted all day long, even after eating and drinking it didn't need reapplying and hadn't budged. Great for when you're working all day with minimal breaks too! Blake, I think I've met my match.

There are three other shades in the exclusive Reds collection; Eva's Pure Red, Julianne's Pure Red & Liya's Pure Red. Have any of you guys tried out the Reds collection? What did you think of it?

You can find  Blake's Pure Red in Boots, Superdrug and other good chemists.

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048 Review : MUA Palettes

Hey Lovelies! Hope you all had a lovely weekend! I can't believe its July tomorrow, is it just me or is this year flying by?! Now, I'm not sure about you guys, but when it comes to buying make-up, skincare, bath products... well anything really.. I'm a bit of a massive snob. I'm not sure why, I've just always opted for higher end brands, I've always believed that you get what you pay for, and if you pay crap money, you get... well, crap. That was until quite recently, when I saw the MUA palettes floating around the blogosphere and people were raving & raving about them. I know I'm a little late to the party on these little beauties, but I love them so much, I couldn't not write about them.

MUA has been a brand I've known quite little about, its one of those brands that I tend to walk past in Superdrug, notice its there but never stop to get a good gander at their products. I've paid over £30 for high end brand palettes in the past, and at £4 each, you just can't say no to MUA. I was shocked at just how affordable they were and to be honest I wasn't expecting amazing quality, but have to admit, I was definitely far too close minded.

 (top left: Undress Me Too. top right: Heaven & Earth. bottom left: Undressed. bottom right: Starry Night)

As you can see, my Undressed palette has been really well used! The one thing I love about these palettes is that they blend so beautifully, the shades are all super wearable and the amount of looks you can create with them are almost endless. I always use a base on my lids before applying eyeshadow, I'm currently using a Mac Paint Pot in shade Bare Study, as a creamy, light champagne coloured base. I then build up the colour on my lids, starting with the inner corner, working out to the middle and onto the outer corners. 

 (MUA Undressed - £4)

This has to be my favourite of the MUA palettes that I've tried. It had me at hello, I'm a sucker for neutral shades and with this, you can create perfect smokey eyes. I love shades of gold and champagne and with twelve choices in this pretty little palette, I think its a definite staple and one that I would buy again and again.

 (MUA Undressed Me Too - £4)

A beautiful addition to the MUA Palette family, Undressed Me Too has 12 gorgeous, timeless shades. I prefer shimmer shadows over matte, but this palette has a really good combo of the two which blend together beautifully. I do prefer its little sister but I think its a nice addition to have!

  (MUA Heaven & Earth - £4)

 Heaven & Earth is a really lovely palette, I picked it up on a bit of a whim, after all, you can never have too many neutrals right?! I really fell in love with all the gorgeous shades and with the berries and deep golds, I think this is going to be my staple palette for winter, the lighter shade in the top left is great for highlighting the inner corner and under the brow bone but I definitely feel this is more of an autumn palette.

 (MUA Starry Night - £4)

Starry Night was another palette that I picked up on a bit of a whim, I don't often wear coloured eyeshadows but I really loved the colours in this palette. It has twelve beautiful shades of blues, pinks and greys which you can use to create endless amounts of looks. I think a lot of them would be perfect for nights out. I've used the purple shades quite a few times and didn't think I'd like them too much, I'm a little scared of having too much colour on my eyes and always feel I'd look a little clown-like - but these blend so gorgeously that they actually don't look overpowering when they're on the eye. I love that you can blend with them with the soft champagne from the Undressed Palette, or the silver in this one. I have to say, I'm an MUA convert. Utterly besotted!

Have you tried any of the MUA Palettes? What does everyone think?!

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007 What's In My Make-Up Bag?

Every girls make-up bag is a messy haven of our essential, everyday, can't-be-without products. Mine is absolutely no different, I tend to take everything I know I'm going to use during the day out of my bigger make-up bag and throw into one small essential one. I love having a little peep in my friends' make-up bags to see which products they just can't be without!
 
Here's what's in mine: 

 

The make-up bag I use for my essentials is from Cath Kidston, I picked it up in the sale for a teeny £7! Before I bought it I was just chucking my make-up loose into my handbag, I'd end up with foundation all over my diary and eyeliner on my keys, blusher over my purse. You get the idea! It was definitely a well needed investment and the print is so beautiful!

 

I don't tend to carry too much around with me, I can't stand my handbag being too heavy. 
Here's a little overview of what I like to have on me:

- Mac Prep + Prime Skin Base Visage - this was a sample sent to me by Mac, it's absolutely amazing, I'd definitely buy the full size, you pop it on after moisturizing and your foundation just slides on beautifully and gives you a really stunning, flawless look. It's definitely become a staple product for me.

- Mac Studio Fix SPF15 (shade NC15) - Mac is the only foundation I've found that really suits my skin, I was blessed with natural English Rose pale skin, I've found it really hard finding a foundation that suits my skintone and doesn't make me look even slightly orange, for me, the palest shade of Studio Fix works amazingly. I've learned to embrace my pale skin over the years, no fake tan for me!

- Bare Minerals Around the Clock eyeliner (shade 1am) - This eyeliner is amazing, it's a really dark beautiful black with little specks of glitter in, it looks so cute when its on and lasts absolutely ages and ages! It came with the 'Scene Stealer' set, which is half price at just £13 from Debenhams/Asos/Bare Minerals - it's a complete bargain and I'd highly recommend it!

- Bare Minerals Buxom Lips (shade Katie) - Katie was a recent purchase, a little pricey at £18 but it looks stunning on, its a pretty coral-y shade, Buxom Lips creates the look of fuller, voluptuous lips. I couldn't decide between Katie and Trixie, Trixie is a little pinker, but I'm definitely going to go back and buy it!

- Rimmel Eyebrow Pencil (shade Dark Brown) - This has become a real staple for me, I never used to use eyebrow pencils because I just didn't see the point, but having tried it out, my eyebrows do look so much neater, I'd heard really good things about this pencil and I don't use many Rimmel products, but its completely amazing, it lasts ages and the cute little brush on the end of the lid is perfect for taming unkempt brows!

- Rimmel Hide The Blemish Concealer (fairest shade) - Concealer is definitely essential if my skin isn't looking as great as it should be, sometimes when it gets to the end of the week and I'm feeling a little tired I suffer with the dreaded under eye circles, this helps massively as well as covering any little blemishes that pop up every now and then! It applies just like lipstick and lasts absolutely ages as you only need a tiny amount, it's definitely been a facesaver!

- Mac Fix+ - I bought this a little while ago, I was a little unsure of fixing sprays to begin with but I couldn't be without it now, it keeps your make-up in place all day and is so refreshing on the skin, it feels cool, calming and energizing, it definitely leaves me feeling refreshed during the day.

- Mac Dazzle Lash Mascara - I adore this mascara, I was blessed with naturally long eyelashes but they're quite fair, this is a gorgeous blacker-than-black shade. It's not quite as amazing as Benefit's They're Real but for the price tag it's definitely worth it!

- Mac Blush (shade Well Dressed) - This was a recent purchase of mine, I tend to get bored of blushers quite quickly and change shades pretty often, I love this shade though, its so pretty, it's a really delicate pink which looks beautiful against my pale skin, without leaving me looking embarrassed or overly warm! I tend to apply it quite often during the day, I hate looking washed out and tired because my skins so pale! 

So there's my everyday essentials! I'd love to hear what yours are! 

Blush & Belle x

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001 Whats In My Bag?

A girls handbag is her sanctuary, the one place where all of our little knicknacks and daily deeds are hidden from the world, the contents of our bags can tell you a lot about our characters. I've decided to clear out my crumpled reciepts and stow away the odd bits of spare change and show you whats actually in my bag...

Handbag - My bag is by Marc B, I picked it up in the Oxford Street branch of Topshop last year and it soon became a staple in my wardrobe, I use it pretty much every day, I love the structured shape, masses of space and versatility. Marc B has become one of my favourite brands over the last year. 

Notebook - I always carry a notebook with me, everywhere I go, I tend to write everything down and make lots of notes and jot ideas before I forget them, I'm massively creative and feel inspired by everything from places I visit, food I've tried and the world around me, my notebook is full of weird and wonderful ideas that I try and put into practice as much as possible.

Diary - I like to think I'm quite organised and tend to keep my diary on me most of the time, I always like to know where I need to be and when so I can plan ahead! 

Book - I'm reading Breakfast At Tiffanys by Truman Capote at the moment, I think it should be a staple on every girls bookshelf! Quite possibly the most romantic book ever written, I love to read when I have time and keep my book on me for any quiet moments that pop up during the day. 

Body Spray - I've got some Charlie 'Touch' in my bag at the moment, it was actually a gift, I'm definitely more of a perfume girl but body spray is a given if you need a quick refreshing spritz! I'm a total sucker for anything that smells gorgeous and girly, for someone who isn't a fan of body sprays, this is definitely one of my favourite scents. 

Perfume - I love perfume, I love to smell good, the perfume I'm using at the moment is Coco Mademoiselle by Chanel, its my all time favourite, completely classy and feminine. 

Lip Balms/Gloss - I have two lip balms chucked in the bottom of my bag at the moment, I tend to get bored of flavours and replace them pretty quickly, one of them is a passionfruit one from the Body Shop, it tastes absolutely delicious and has a really pretty sheen to it, perfect for this time of year! The gloss is the one I use the most, its the DuWop Venom Gloss, you can buy it from FeelUnique, its currently on sale, a total steal at £12.80!

Hairspray - I carry Lee Stafford Climate Control around with me all the time, my hair is prone to frizziness at the tiniest drop of rain and it keeps all my flyaways under control and completely weatherproofed.

Keys - I only have one keyring on my keys, a little floral 'H' that I picked up from Accessorize, I have my house keys on there and the key to my Mini, I'm so grateful to be able to drive, I wouldn't be able to cope without my car!

Hand Cream - My skin gets massively dry during the winter, especially on my hands, I love hand creams from the Body Shop, I have the Wild Rose one at the moment but I find the Almond smells a little nicer and is a little more moisturising. 

Purse - I bought my purse a couple of weeks ago in the Cath Kidston sale, I was pining after a new one after my Topshop one completely fell apart, I love Cath Kidston products and the purse is definitely no exception, the print is beautiful and theres just enough room for all my cards and coins (although its empty at the moment! - oh dear!).

Umbrella - I have a really bad habit of getting caught up in the rain, I can't bear getting drenched! I've only recently begun to carry my brolly around with me just in case! The weather in England can be so unpredictable at times, its a given!

Whats in your bag..?

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